Daddy Dearest
by Katy M VT
Summary: Pre-Series Standford era. Sam spots his father unexpectedly at a gas station and things go quickly awry.
1. Chapter 1

Sam woke up. He was cold. It wasn't surprising. He was in a cold, damp cellar. His clothes were in tatters. He had no blanket. And his neck and legs were chained to the wall in such a way that made it impossible for him to curl up and maximize body warmth. He was stuck in a sitting position. It had taken him a couple of nights to figure out how to sleep without strangling or choking himself.

He heard a key turning in the lock of his cell. He looked down anticipating the bright light that would enter the now dim room.

"Did you have a good night?"

"Yes, sir," Sam whispered. He knew it was the expected response. That didn't necessarily mean that he wouldn't receive a beating this morning.

"Do you know how long you've been here?"

Sam considered. It was hard to keep track in a cell with no windows, but he seemed to get fed on a fairly regular schedule. "Two weeks?" he guessed.

"That's exactly right, Sammy. It's been two weeks today."

Sam cringed. 'Sammy' usually meant a bad mood. And a bad mood meant a whipping or a carving session.

"You were at a gas station when I brought you here. I never asked where you were going."

Sam remained silent. He hadn't been asked yet. Only told that he hadn't been asked. He heard a chuckle indicating that he had been right not to answer.

"You're getting smarter. Where were you going?"

"I had an interview for a summer internship in Oregon," Sam answered. He guessed he could pretty much kiss that good-bye, but he didn't really care at the moment. He had bigger problems.

"Where did you get the car?"

"My girlfriend loaned it to me," Sam answered without thinking. He hoped he hadn't just made Jessica into a target. He didn't think so, though.

"I hope she's not expecting it back."

Sam didn't say anything. He wouldn't mention Jess again.

"So, Sammy, how do you like college? Was it worth leaving your family for?"

Dangerous ground. That was the second time Sammy had been used. He would be beaten no matter what he said. He decided not to give the satisfaction of an answer. Instead, he slowly brought his head up to meet his father's eyes.

"I asked you a question."

"I didn't leave you. You're the one who told me never to come back."

Then as expected, he saw the fist come at him. He was grateful that it was just a fist this morning and not a whip. His father rained blow upon blow on him.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks earlier

Sam pulled into a gas station. He was a couple of hours away from his destination and he was already drenched in sweat from nervousness. It was funny the things that scared him. Clowns, his father, and interviews. Anything else was no problem. He hadn't seen any for a while, but he'd take a werewolf over any of those things any day.

He headed over to the store to get some snacks for the trip. He stopped when he got to the door. His father was at the cash register. He had his back to Sam, but Sam would know him anywhere. A quick look to the right confirmed it. He didn't know how he had managed to miss seeing the Impala.

He knew he was being a coward, but he walked back to his car. Well, Jess's car. The mere thought of her brought a smile to Sam's lips. He wondered if his dad would like her. Probably not.

He hesitated with his hand on the door handle. He should go talk to him. It had been two years. He closed his eyes. He decided that he would walk around the building. If his father was still there when he came back, he would approach him.

He turned and headed toward the side of the building before he changed his mind. He knew that if he walked around the building normally, his father would just be getting back to the Impala when he got to the other side. His father would either see or he wouldn't. He would either ignore him or he wouldn't.

Sam wondered if Dean were here, too. He hadn't seen him with his father, but he could have been on the other side of the store. Or he could be in the bathroom. He wasn't sure if Dean would acknowledge him either. He had looked so hurt the night he left.

Sam thought he heard someone behind him. He half turned when something hard came crashing down on his head and he tumbled to the ground.

SSS

"Ready?" John asked Dean when he had come out of the bathroom.

"Yeah," Dean said.

"What's wrong?" John asked. Dean had been acting a little odd all day.

"It's that shifter hunt. Something was off about it," Dean said, hesitantly.

"What?" John asked. He hated shifters.

"There were six murders over three nights," Dean said.

"Yeah. Shifter moved fast," John agreed.

"Too fast," Dean said. "The murders the last night were too far apart. He wouldn't have had time."

"You're right," John realized. "Maybe one of them was a copycat killer."

"Or the shifter had a partner," Dean put into words what had been troubling him all day.

SSS

The shifter smiled as he dragged Sam from the car. He had come into contact with one of the hunters and taken his form. He had recognized the cast out son right away. Since he had all of John Winchester's thoughts and memories, he also knew that cast out or not, he loved his son.

Sam started to wake up as the shifter dragged him down the stairs. He wasn't being gentle with him.

"Dad?" Sam asked. Everything was coming back to him. He had seen his father in the convenience store and was wasting time trying to get up the courage to talk to him. Now his father was dragging him down a flight of stairs into a basement.

"I saw you watching me through the store window, Sammy. Then I saw you running off again. You think you're too good for this family?"

"What? No. I was just scared," Sam said. This couldn't be happening. He tried to bring his hands up to protect himself from the bumping stairs, but they were tied behind his back.

"Scared? I didn't raise you to be scared."

Sam felt his father letting go of him. Then he felt himself being kicked and he tumbled down the remaining ten stairs. He hit his head and blacked out again.

SSS

John and Dean had returned to the town they had just left. "How are we going to find it?" Dean asked. "There was only evidence of one shifter in the sewers."

John was considering the problem when his phone rang. "Winchester," he answered.

"Dad?"

"Sammy?" John hadn't heard from Sam since he left for college. He acknowledged that was probably mostly his fault since he had told him that if he left he wasn't to come back. He sounded scared, though.

"I need help. They're after me."

"Who's after you?" John asked. Dean was watching him intently.

John heard Sam scream and then the call cut out. "SAM! SAM!" he yelled, knowing it would do no good.

"What is it?" Dean asked in a panic.

"Sam said something was after him." John realized that wasn't quite true. He was assuming something instead of someone.

"What? Where?" Dean practically yelled.

"He didn't get a chance to say. The call cut out."

"How are we going to find him?" Dean asked.

"We'll start from where we knew he was last," John reasoned.

"Stanford?"

"Let's go."

SSS

The shifter smiled. He had changed into Sam to make that phone call. He would be able to mess with John and Dean pretending to be Sam and he would be able to mess with Sam pretending to be John. He couldn't imagine a better revenge for his brother.

He shifted back into John's shape and decided to check on his son.

"You're awake."

There was no response. That wasn't surprising. He and his brother had set this cell up years ago. They had had a fight last week which is why his brother had gone back to the sewers. Anyway, when they had been working together they had chained their victims' feet to the wall and there neck at a point about 3 feet above the floor. Most people weren't able to comfortably sit at that level, but Sam was tall, so it was just right for him. That was OK, though. He had left Sam's hands tied behind him for now and gagged him.

"If you're good I'll remove the gag and untie your hands so that you can eat later. Would you like that?"

Nothing but a blank stare from Sam. The chain around his neck was such that he could nod or shake his head. The shifter grabbed the whip off the wall and hit Sam with it. He was gratified by the muffled yell. "Answer me when I ask you a question," he roared. "Did college wash all the respect for me out of you?"

Sam shook his head no. This was doing the trick, though. He had thought that maybe this wasn't his father. Maybe it was a demon, or a shapeshifter, or a doppelganger. Something, anything. But, not his father.

"I'll see you later," the shifter said and left. He didn't want to beat him too much, too fast. He had to take his time with all the Winchesters. It was the least he could do for his brother.


	3. Chapter 3

The shifter changed back into Sam. He had to lead John and Dean farther away from Sam.

"Sam," John grabbed the phone as soon as it rang.

"Dad, I got away, but they're coming after me. I don't know what they are, but there not human," the shifter said in a rush.

"Where are you?" John asked.

"Somewhere near San Diego," the shifter answered.

"Could you be more specific?" John asked, wondering what Sam was doing all the way down there.

"I'm not sure." The shifter screamed and hung up. That would get them racing in the opposite direction. He would have plenty of time to play with Sam before worrying about needing to leave John and Dean only a corpse to find.

"Dad?" Dean asked. He was driving because John had been trying to figure out where they were going when they got to Stanford. The next exit was for Palo Alto.

"We're going to San Diego," John stated. He wouldn't tell Dean about the blood-curdling scream, but every second counted. Interviewing people who would have no idea where Sam was right now would be no help.

Dean wanted to ask his dad how Sam sounded, but he was given one of those "no questions" looks. It was times like these that he wished he was a bit more rebellious like Sam.

SSS

Sam was uncomfortable. He wondered how long he was going to have to stay like this. As if summoned by his thoughts, his father opened the door with a tray.

"I got you your favorite, Sam, a bacon cheeseburger."

That was Dean's favorite, but Sam didn't really care. He was starving. His father sat down next to him and put the tray down. Sam could smell the burger. His father just sat there. Sam looked at him in question.

After a few minutes, he reached over and took Sam's gag off. "So, what do you think, Sammy? Should I untie you or feed you?"

"Untie me," Sam whispered. His mouth was so dry from the gag being in his mouth all day. He had noticed that his father had also brought in a glass of water. He looked at it longingly.

The shifter picked up the glass of water and threw its contents in Sam's face. He picked up the plate with the burger and walked over to the door. He turned around. "You will address me as sir, and say please when you make a request. Didn't I teach you any manners? If you want breakfast you'll remember them." The door closed and Sam was plunged into blackness.

SSS

"Did Sam say what was after him?" Dean asked the next day when they finally reached San Diego.

"No."

"Then how are we going to figure out where to look for him?" Dean asked.

John's phone rang. "Sammy?" he asked hopefully.

"Dad. I'm sorry. They got me."

"Who?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you that. They just said to tell you that you've run into them before and they want something from you. They know that you just got to town," the shifter held his breath for a second, hoping that was true.

"Sammy?" John asked when Sam had stopped speaking. "How do they know that?"

"They're watching you."

John turned around to look.

"They said you won't be able to spot them. They want you to check into a hotel and wait for their phone call. If you or Dean leave the hotel before morning, I'm dead. I'm sorry, Dad."

John put his hand over his mouth. "It's OK, Sammy. We'll do it. Have they hurt you?"

The shifter didn't answer. He was having a hard time not laughing. This was too much fun.

"I have to go Dad." He hung up.

Dean had been watching John the whole time. "We have to check into a hotel."

"Why?" Dean asked. He didn't want to rest. He wanted to find Sam.

"Sam's been kidnapped by something. They're watching us. They said we have to check into a hotel and wait for their call. We're not to leave or they'll kill Sam." John choked on the last words.

"How do we know they're not just trying to keep us out of the way while they kill him or move him?"

"We don't," John admitted. "But we have no choice. You already pointed out that we have no idea where to even begin looking."

SSS

"Good morning, Sam. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please, sir," Sam said, as contritely as possible.

"Good boy." The shifter sat down beside him. Sam looked longingly at the scrambled eggs and toast. His father scooped some of the egg up with a fork. "Remember this, Sammy?" he asked and started making airplane noises as he approached Sam's mouth with the fork. It took everything Sam had not to roll his eyes. He dutifully opened his mouth and ate the egg. His father fed him his whole breakfast like that.

When he had finished, John set the tray aside and pulled out a knife. "So, I had an idea since you like school so much. I'm going to give you a test. Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir," Sam said, since he figured there was no other choice.

"How do you kill vampires?"

Vampires? There was no such thing as vampires. Should he say that, or should he say a stake to the heart? "There's no such thing, sir."

"Wrong!" the shifter yelled with glee. He knew Sam would get that one wrong. He took the knife and cut through Sam's shirt, making a shallow cut on Sam's chest.

Throughout the day, the shifter continued asking Sam questions. Some he would know the answers to, some he wouldn't. Whenever he got one wrong, the shifter slashed at him with the knife, just deep enough to hurt, not deep enough for any lasting damage.

"Good night, Sam. I think we had a very productive day, don't you?"

"Yes sir," Sam agreed through tears. Why was his father doing this? Where was Dean? He decided to take a chance and ask. "Where's Dean, sir?"

"He's upstairs," the shifter lied. "He was hurt when you left for school. He hasn't been able to forgive you. Maybe someday. I hope you've learned that there are consequences to your actions." The shifter slammed the door shut.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sam," John grabbed his phone the second it rang. He saw Dean waking up in the bed next to him.

"Dad, they want you to meet with someone."

"Who?" John asked.

"I don't know. They want you to meet him in the Pittsburgh Library."

"Pittsburgh? As in Pennsylvania? That's all the way across the country."

"He'll meet you at noon in four days. Both of you. They said to drive, not fly."

"No. We're not leaving y.."

John was cut off by Sam screaming. "OK, OK," John yelled. John could still hear Sam breathing. "Sammy?"

He got a whimper in response and then the line went dead.

"Is he OK?" Dean asked.

John just shook his head.

"Did they finally say what they wanted?"

"Not really. They want us to meet someone in Pittsburgh. In four days."

"We'll have to hurry," Dean said. "Maybe we should fly." He had never told his father about his fear of flying. John Winchester did not want his sons to have flaws like that. But, he would do it for Sammy.

"They specifically said to drive."

"Why?"

"I have no idea. Remember, though, Sam said they're watching us. They could intend to follow us all the way there."

"If they do, we're sure to see them. Maybe we can catch them and find out where Sam is."

"Maybe. Let's go."

SSS

"Sam, it stinks in here."

"Yes, sir," Sam answered mechanically. What did his father expect? He'd been in here a couple of days without any bathroom breaks.

John walked up to him and slapped him. "Don't be smart."

"Sorry, sir."

John put a blindfold around Sam's eyes. Sam wondered what was in store for him. "Lean forward."

Sam leant forward as best he could. He felt his father cuffing his hands behind his back. Then felt felt the restraints around his legs and neck come off. "Get up."

Sam struggled to his feet. He had been immobile for what he thought was two or three days.

"Faster," his father yelled, and Sam heard the crack of the whip at about the same time as he felt it slash into his back. He cried out.

"How did I get such a wimpy kid? Not that Dean would ever deserve such punishment, but you can believe that if he had to endure it, he would be holding up a lot better than you."

"Where are we going, sir?" Sam whispered.

Instead of being answered, Sam felt himself being spun around and his father enclosed his neck in a stranglehold. "Move forward, slowly."

Sam inched his way forward, with his father gripping him tightly the whole time. They came to the stairs and his father ended up having to let go of his neck. He grabbed his hair instead and pulled his head back. Sam felt the sharp blade of a knife next to his throat. "You aren't going to try anything, are you, Sammy?"

"No, sir," Sam whispered, as the continued up the stairs. Sam was led through a couple of turns and then he heard a door open. He was shoved inside and his father walked in behind him and closed the door, and removed the handcuffs.

"Take off the blindfold."

Sam took it off and looked around him. He was in a bathroom. "Take your clothes off."

"What?" This was getting too weird for Sam. His dad was definitely acting off, so who knew what kind of disgusting things were going through his head.

His father laughed at him. "You disgusting freak. You really think you're my type? I want you to take a shower, stinky. I can't leave you alone, though. You'd do something stupid and try to escape. So, take your clothes off, or I'll do it for you."

Sam took off his shirt with difficulty. It was sticking to his flesh where he had been cut and whipped. When he had finished undressing, he stepped towards the shower.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought you said you wanted me to take a shower," Sam said, confused.

"But, I didn't tell you to take on yet, did I? And you forgot to say sir."

Sam put up his arms to block his father's fist coming at him. Then he punched out one of his own. He was too weak, though. His father grabbed his arm and flipped him down on his back. Then, his father stepped on his stomach pressed down with, what felt to Sam, all of his weight.

"Stop, please," Sam begged as his father continued to hold his foot there..

Afraid that he was about to do permanent damage, the shapeshifter, got off of Sam. He rolled his eyes when he realized the kid had passed out from the pain. Maybe he should just kill him and get it over with. He certainly was a high-maintenance hostage.

SSS

Sam wasn't sure how much later it was when he woke up in the bathtub. He felt hot water pouring over him.

"Is that too hot for you?" his father asked.

"No, sir," Sam answered. He realized his mistake as soon as his father turned the hot water on higher.

"Please, not so hot, sir," Sam begged. He wanted to get out of the tub, but his father had put the handcuffs back on while he'd been out and was holding him down with one of his hands.

"Why did you try to hit me earlier, Sam? I'm your father. I deserve respect and obedience."

"I'm sorry, sir. It was reflex." Sam actually thought that might work. His dad was always harping on him working on his reflexes.

His father slapped his face and then started scrubbing him with a scouring pad. Sam thought better of complaining. Even when he got to the sensitive areas. He bit back on a couple of moans.

"Look out how disgusting this water is, Sammy," John admonished.

Sam didn't have to look. He could smell and feel it. And then, quick as a snake, John moved his hand to the back of Sam's head and pushed his face down into the water. Sam struggled to get it out. His father just pushed it down harder.

The shifter was laughing. He kept Sam's head down for 45 seconds and lifted it back up. The kid started choking and trying to spit out water.

"Will you try to escape again?"

"No, sir," Sam answered.

"Good, boy."

John removed the cuffs so that Sam could put on the new shirt the shifter had grabbed for him. "No point in putting pants on you. You'll just mess them up again."

"Yes, sir," Sam said and allowed himself to be blindfolded and led back to his cell.

A/N: Don't worry, I'm about to do a time jump of a few days so you're not going to actually have to read through 2 weeks worth of mental and physical torture.


	5. Chapter 5

Four days later

John and Dean were nearing Pittsburgh when John's phone rang.

"Sam."

After a short hesitation, he heard a woman's voice. "No, do you know where he is?"

"Who is this?" John barked.

"Is this Sam's father?"

"Yes. Now who are you?" John pulled over.

"My name's Jessica. I'm Sam's girlfriend. I loaned him my car to go to Oregon. I was notified that it was towed from a gas station a few days ago. I can't get hold of Sam. I've been looking for a way to contact you ever since."

"How many days ago, and where exactly?"

"Six," Jessica answered and gave him the name of the town and gas station the police had given her.

"Thanks," John said and hung up.

Jessica just stared at the phone. She couldn't believe that Sam's father had just hung up on her when she called to tell him he was missing. She was beginning to see why Sam never talked about the man.

"Crap," John said.

"What is it?" Dean asked. He was getting sick on only hearing one end of phone conversations.

"That was Sam's girlfriend. He disappeared from that gas station we stopped at right after the shifter hunt, about that same time. I think you're right. The shifter has a brother and he's been sending us on a wild goose chase?"

"Why?" Dean asked.

John made a u-turn to head back out west. "I have no idea. I think this means Sam's still alive, though, because he wouldn't need to send us away if he'd already killed him."

"But we know Sam's alive. Or that he was yesterday, anyway. You've been talking to him on the phone."

John shook his head. "I think that was the shifter. I thought Sam seemed off somehow, but I figured it was just the stress of being kidnapped. But, I should have known. I probably would have known, if I hadn't thrown him out of the family two years ago."

Dean didn't bother saying anything. He had already let his dad have an earful about that when it happened. But, he had let Sam go, too. He figured if Sam contacted him, fine, but he wasn't going to make the first move. Sam was the one who ditched them. He regretted that now. Of course, Sam hadn't called him. Their father had told him not to come back and Sam knew that Dean never defied their father. Dean figured that Sam would have known, should have known, that of course he would have in this case. But, now he realized he was wrong. He just hoped it wasn't too late to make it right.

SSS

Sam looked eagerly at the breakfast his father was bringing in. Neither of them had spoken in days since the whole bathroom incident. His father hadn't said anything to him and Sam hadn't dared to speak without being spoken to first. Plus, he was only getting fed once a day. At least he thought he was getting fed once a day at the same time. It was hard to tell being in a dark, windowless basement.

He couldn't take it anymore, though. He didn't think this was his father. He had no way to check anything else, but, he could check one thing. "Christo," he said, waiting to see if there was a demonic reaction.

His father looked at him, shook his head, and smiled. Then he left the room.

SSS

The next morning, Sam's father sat next to him while he ate his breakfast.

"How could you think I'm a demon, Sammy?" he asked, while Sam ate ravenously.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Sam asked. He didn't bother with the sir. He didn't care what his father did to him. He was resigned to being chained up for the rest of his life. How could he possibly escape? His father just cleaned up his messes every couple of days and hadn't unchained him since that one time. He didn't see him doing it again. He had no way of escape. He would be here until he died.

"Don't worry, Sammy. You won't be here much longer."

"I won't?" Sam asked, hopefully, afraid that he had heard wrong. Maybe his father was going to let him go after all.

"I drugged your food. When you wake up, you'll be in a pine box, six feet under. I was thinking I should set you on fire, but considering how your mother died, that would be too painful. So, I'll just bury you alive."

Sam felt his eyes closing. He was almost relieved. He only hoped he didn't wake up at all.

SSS

"Sammy? Sammy?"

Sam pulled away from his father's voice as he woke up in a bed. A bed? "What's going on?"

"Are you OK?"

"I thought you were going to bury me alive?"

"Sam, that was a shapeshifter. Dean and I found you just as he was digging a hole. We thought you were already dead."

"A shapeshifter? I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't think it was you, but then I wasn't sure. I'm sorry," Sam said, feeling like a moron. Of course, there wasn't anything he could have done even if he had known for sure, but he felt that he had betrayed his father by thinking for one minute that that monster had been his father.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, son. I'm just glad you're OK."

"So, where is Dean?" Sam asked, lifting his head and looking around. They hadn't been together as a family in the same room for two years. Right now, it was all he wanted.

"We wanted to get you out of there as quickly as possible, so Dean's burning the body and he's going to meet us here."

"Where is here, anyway?"

"Washington. We had to get out of the state."

Sam nodded and immediately regretted the action.

"Are you OK? I don't think I've actually seen anyone turn green before, but you just did."

"I think I'm going to be sick. It must be the drugs he gave me," Sam said, fighting the nausea.

"Can you make it to the bathroom?"

"I think so."

"Let me help you."

Sam leaned on his father as he led him down the hall. When the door was opened and Sam saw the bathroom, he gasped. This was the same bathroom he had had his ill-fated bath in a few days ago. He heard his father laughing behind him.

"Shapeshifter? I can't believe you fell for that. Oh, Sammy, it's been me the whole time."

Sam fell to his knees and retched. He had no strength to resist as his hands were pulled behind him and put in cuffs once again. He was pulled back and brought back downstairs to his cell and reattached as he was before.

"You should have seen your face. Priceless." His father laughed as the door clinked shut behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day after he had supposedly been rescued, John came in and asked Sam a bunch of questions, beaten him and left. Sam spent the whole day thinking about one of the questions he had been asked. "How long have you been here?" The answer had been two weeks. That was troubling enough. The more troubling realization was how long he was going to be here.

SSS

John and Dean pulled into the town where they had killed the shapeshifter. John's phone rang. The shifter hadn't called since he had sent them to Pittsburgh.

"Hello?" John answered.

"Dad, they said you never showed."

John felt an instant of panic. What if he had been wrong? What if there was no shapeshifter brother and he had ignored a rendez-vous with whoever held Sam's fate in his hands. He was jarred out of his reverie when they drove by a church and it's bells started chiming the hour.

The shifter heard the bells over the phone. He knew those bells. John Winchester was in his town. He had expected that. He would have to think fast. He had another place in Montana. He could bring Sam there, or he could have a stand off here.

"We were there, Sam. Nobody else was," John decided to lie and see what happened.

The phone was hung up.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"Sam said we never showed and then hung up."

"Dad, we have to go back. You were wrong." Dean yelled.

"I don't think so." John had had a moment to think about this. "If they knew we didn't show, why would they wait four more days to call us? Or, why call us at all just to hang up. Why not just…?" he left the question unfinished. He wasn't going to suggest that it would be a good idea for whoever had Sam to kill him.

"So, what do we do?"

"Question some of the locals again."

SSS

The shifter hurried out and ran to the nearest gas station. He knew John would need gas and he knew he would want to question the locals and this was the obvious place to do both. He killed the kid working the register and dragged him into the back room and took his form.

He had just finished getting ready when he heard that obnoxiously loud motor outside. He looked up in what he hoped look like a habit when the bell rang. It wasn't John Winchester, it was Dean.

He resisted the urge to follow Dean with his eyes as he picked up a few snacks and concentrated on a magazine. He looked up when Dean plunked some stuff on the counter. He rang up the purchases and Dean handed him a credit card. He made sure to brush his hand when handed it back. Careful to not show any emotion on his face, he smiled on the inside. Now, he could be all three Winchesters.

"So, this seems like a nice little town?" Dean said. He didn't know how to go about asking if you knew where a shapeshifter lived. He had to find Sammy, though. These last two weeks had been the worst of his life.

"I guess," the shifter answered like a bored teenager.

"Anything exciting ever happen around here?"

"There were some murders a few weeks ago."

Dean already knew about those.

"They catch the guy?" Dean asked.

"No. I think he moved on to Portland."

"Why do you say that?"

"There were a couple of murders there this week."

Dean thanked the kid and left. "Dad, there's been some murders in Portland."

"Let's go."

The shifter watched the Impala leave and then rushed back to the house and Sam.

SSS

"Dean, we've been listening to the news since we hit Oregon and there's been no mention of murders in Portland," John realized.

"Why would that kid lie to me?"

"I don't know. Unless, he was the shifter."

"Why would the shifter just be hanging out in a gas station."

"The church bells!"

"What?" Dean asked, perplexed.

"When I was talking to the shifter on the phone, the church bells chimed the hour. I wasn't really paying attention to them at the time, but they were kind of unique."

"Yeah, that were clanging and playing music at the same time. Like they were broken."

"If he heard that over the phone, he would have known were in town. He wanted to get us out of town."

"Well, how do we find him? He'll have left the station by now."

"Good question." John turned back the way they had come.

SSS

The shifter slipped into Dean's skin and went down the stairs.

"Dean," Sam breathed. This was the first time he'd seen him since this whole nightmare started.

"Dad said he forgot to bring you your breakfast." Dean shoved the food in front of Sam.

Sam looked at it.

"Eat, Sam," Dean told him in a harsh voice.

Dean picked up the food. He had been harboring some hope that Dad had been lying to him about Dean being in on this.

When he finished eating, Dean produced a key and unlocked him. "Come on," he said, helping Sam up.

Sam wanted to ask where they were going, but seemed unable to form the words.

"We have to move. Here put these pants on."

Sam put them on. He felt kind of weird. What was wrong with him?

"I drugged you," Dean answered his unspoken question. "If we get pulled over by cops, I can't have you saying I kidnapped you or something. Besides, it isn't true. You can't kidnap your own family."

"Let's go upstairs," the shifter said. Sam followed behind him. The shifter had found this drug when he had taken the shape of a guy trying to invent new designer drugs. The shifter had experimented with some of his victims. This drug didn't knock you out, but kind of hypnotized you, the shifter guessed. You couldn't do anything you weren't told to do. He had had a couple victims at the same time and experimented and found that not only that, but whoever gave you your first command was the only one you would listen to. You had no memory of anything from the time you took it until you came out of it.

They went in the driveway and saw a patrol car driving by. The shifter smiled and waved. "Smile and wave and get in the car," he said to Sam.

Sam felt himself doing as Dean had told him. He wanted to scream for help, but he found himself in the car as Dean started the engine and his only chance of help receding into the distance.


	7. Chapter 7

"Dad, look!" Dean pointed and John followed his finger. There was a car with Sam in the passenger seat and the shifter looking like Dean, driving.

He turned and followed them.

The shifter caught a glimpse of them in the rearview mirror. "Crap. Looks like we're going to have to hasten your demise, Sammy."

Sam could tell that Dean was looking at something behind him, but he couldn't make himself turn around and look. He was a prisoner in his own body. The only thing he could control was his thoughts.

The shifter laughed as he decided what he was going to do. He headed towards the bridge on the outskirts of town, keeping just enough ahead of Dean and John to give him a couple of seconds when he got there.

When they were a couple of minutes from the bridge, he said, "Sam, when I stop, I want you to run around to the back of the car. I'm going to pop the trunk. Take out the can of gas I have in there, face the car following us, pour the gas all over you and then light one of these matches." He handed Sam a book of matches.

Fear seized Sam. He knew he would do it. He could tell he had no will of his own. He was going to have to light himself on fire! He couldn't imagine a worse death. Why would Dean do this to him? This was how their mother died. Did he blame him for that?

The shifter thought of giving Sam some whole song and dance about how he blamed him for his mother's death, but he didn't bother. He wasn't sure if Sam was capable of thinking or even knew what was going on. But, if he was, the second he saw the other Dean he would know the score.

He stopped the car and said, "Go. Hurry."

Sam got out of the car and ran to the trunk. He pulled out the gas and turned around. He was shocked to see his father and brother standing before him. There really was a shifter. He felt so stupid. He was pouring the gas over him and heard the shifter's car driving off.

"What are you doing, Sam? Stop!" John yelled.

Sam was hopeful for a split second, but apparently it didn't count unless the shifter was telling him what to do. He pulled out a match.

"Sam, drop the matches," Dean yelled. What was his brother doing.

Sam watched as his fingers let go of the matches and they fell harmlessly to the ground.

SSS

The shifter dropped the matches and drove to the other end of the bridge looking back. He smiled when he heard John yelling for Sam to stop with no response. Then Dean yelled to drop the matches. He continued smiling. But, then he noticed there was no fire. Sam should have had time to light the match. He looked back. John and Dean were approaching Sam. He realized that the drug hadn't been able to tell the difference between his and Dean's voice. He swore under his breath and drove off. He had lost his leverage and his advantage for now, but this was far from over.

SSS

"Sam, what were you doing?" Dean asked.

Sam just stood there. Asking a question wasn't the same thing as telling him to answer, apparently.

"Come on. Get in the car," John said and put his arm around Sam and tried to propel him forward.

While Sam didn't push back against him, he also didn't make any step towards the car.

"Come on, Sam. Let's go," Dean said.

And Sam followed Dean.

"Apparently he's only going to listen to you," John said, noting the pattern.

"What's wrong with him?"

"No idea," John answered, worried. He could only hope this was temporary.

"Sit down," Dean told Sam, as he settled him in the back seat and then got in the front seat.

John started driving.

"Where are we going?" Dean asked.

"I have a friend who has a cabin in Montana. He'll let us use it for a while."

Sam wanted to scream at them. The shifter was headed for Montana. Granted it was a big state, but he would rather go the opposite direction. He couldn't even change his facial expression so that they would know something was wrong.

SSS

The shifter changed direction. Montana was going to have to wait. He had something he had to do first. Unfortunately, he knew that Sam would be falling asleep in a few hours and he wanted to complete his task before he woke up.

SSS

"Here we are," John announced.

"Sam's asleep."

"Well, wake him up. He can go back to sleep once we get him inside."

"Wake up, Sammy," Dean said, lightly hitting him.

Sam remained asleep. "Dad, maybe we should take him to a hospital."

"Because he's sleeping?" John asked.

"Because he won't wake up. And when he was awake, he was like catatonic or something."

"Dean, I'm hoping it was just some kind of drug that will wear off by morning."

"Hoping? That's good enough for you."

"What are we going to tell the doctors? What will Sam say when he wakes up? If he's not awake and acting like himself in the morning, we'll take him."

Dean glared at him.

"I promise."

"OK," Dean agreed. "Help me carry him inside."

SSS

Sam woke up with a major headache. He opened his eyes slowly. His dad was sleeping in another bed in the room. Dean was sleeping in a chair. Where were they?

The last thing he remembered was Dean giving him breakfast and telling him they were moving to Montana. He didn't seem to be tied up or chained. He thought maybe this would be a good time to try to escape. On the other hand, if, no when, he failed, he would be beaten severely.

He lost his chance anyway. His dad woke up. "Sammy, how are you feeling?" John asked, concerned. He hoped Sam was back to normal.

Sammy, Sam thought. That meant a bad mood

"Sam," Dean woke up when he heard his father's voice.

Sam didn't say anything. There was no point in begging to be let go. That never worked. What else did he have to say to them?

John and Dean exchanged a glance. There was still something up with Sam.


	8. Chapter 8

The shifter was headed to his cabin in Montana to lay low. He was wearing new skin. His plans hadn't worked out had he had planned, but if there was anything a shifter was good at, it was adapting to the situation. He had driven down to Palo Alto with the intention of killing Jessica while in Dean's skin. Sam would have still been out and it would have killed him to find out his brother had killed his girlfriend. But, she hadn't been home and he hadn't known where to look fo r her. So, he went into a police station and killed everyone there. Anyway, Dean's face would be all over the news killing a bunch of people. He wished he could see Sam's when he saw the news. He chuckled to himself. Not only was Sam going to hate his brother, but Dean would be a wanted man.

SSS

Sam had been sitting on the bed, not moving, not talking. He was just waiting to see what would happen. His father and brother had been talking about a shifter. Did they seriously think he was going to fall for that again?

"Let's check out the news," John said, turning on the TV. He was worried about Sam. He had promised Dean that they would take him to the hospital if he wasn't better, but wasn't sure if they should risk it. Dean hadn't brought it up today. Sam was sure to snap out of it.

As if Dean read his mind. "Maybe we should take Sam to the hospital. Last night, you said we would if he wasn't better in the morning. It's afternoon. He's not better."

Sam vaguely wondered what they were talking about. He seriously doubted they were going to take him to the hospital. He might not have anything to say to them, but if they took him to the hospital, he would have plenty to say.

John was about to answer, when the news announcer started talking about a police station slaughter in California. "Every single person in the front part of the station was killed before the killer fled."

The news then showed a video of the massacre. Dean's face stared straight into the camera for a good five seconds before running out into the night.

Sam broke his hours' long silence. "Why did you do that?"

Dean and John both turned their attention to Sam. "Sammy?" Dean asked. "Are you OK?" He had been worried about his brother. He had seemed to be in a catatonic state before.

"Why did you kill those people?" Sam asked plaintively. He kind of understood them being mad at him and punishing him, though he thought they had gone way over the top. But, they were hunters. They saved people.

"That wasn't me. That was the shapeshifter," Dean explained, patiently, figuring that Sam was just kind of loopy from whatever was going on with him.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm not falling for that again. I'm not giving Dad another excuse to beat me."

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

Sam sighed. "Fine. I'll play your game. You 'rescued' me," Sam said providing the appropriate air quotes. Told me that I had been kidnapped by shapeshifters. When I realized that we were in the same house, you dragged me back to the basement and beat me for even entertaining the thought that you weren't you. To tell you the truth, I'd rather be locked back up and beaten. It's better than the stupid mind games." Sam braced himself for the blows that he knew would be coming.

Dean and John exchanged a glance. How were they going to argue with that?

"Sammy, before today, did you ever see the two of us together?" John asked this for two reasons. Partly to begin a logic argument with Sam. Partly to make sure there weren't even more shapeshifters.

"No," Sam admitted. "You kept saying Dean was too mad to even see me."

"That doesn't even make sense," Dean muttered. Dad was the one always mad at Sam.

His dad and his brother did seem different. "Why do I smell like gas?" He'd been wondering that all day, but was afraid to ask.

"Don't you remember what happened yesterday?" Dean asked.

"All I remember is you coming down to the basement and saying we have to move. I think you gave me lunch. Then I woke up here."

"The shifter must have drugged you," John supplied.

"We caught up with you and the shifter. He sent you out of the car and you covered yourself in gas and were going to light yourself on fire, until I told you to stop. We think he had some control over you and you would only respond to his voice. Luckily my voice was the same as his," Dean grinned.

"I'm just not sure," Sam said, looking down.

"Is there anything we could do to convince you?" John asked.

Sam took a deep breath. This would be the moment of truth. "You can let me go."

"Sam, the shifter is still out there," John said.

"Yeah, right," Sam said. He had been stupid to even consider the fact that they were telling the truth.

John shrugged. "OK. Go." Sam wanted to leave again. He didn't stop him the first time, he would stop him now.

"But, Dad," Dean argued, "The shifter might go after him."

"Do you want a ride?" John asked Sam, ignoring Dean's protest.

Sam shook his head and jumped to his feet. He wanted to get out of there before they changed their minds.

"At least clean up and change first," Dean said. "You wouldn't want to accidentally set yourself on fire."

Sam gave him an odd look. He wasn't sure if that was a threat or not. He was afraid if he went in the bathroom, they would lock him in. He quickly grabbed the clothes that they had got for him at some point and rushed in the bathroom. He left the door open, though. He just couldn't trust them.


	9. Chapter 9

Dean looked over towards the bathroom as Sam finished taking his shirt.

"What the Hell?" he yelled and started over towards Sam when he saw all the welts from the whip.

Sam turned around and shrunk against the wall in a protective position. He looked past Dean at the TV. He wouldn't let Dean see the fear or pain in his eyes. He wouldn't give him that power over him. Not ever again.

Dean noticed Sam's movement. He was glad that Sam was looking away because he couldn't stop a look of anger and resentment cross his face. How could Sam think that he would do that to him? Dad either, for that matter.

Then he saw Sam's eyes scrunch up in confusion. "What is it?" he asked and turned back to the TV where Sam was looking.

John turned to look, too. They were replaying the robbery again.

"Your eyes," Sam said. "His eyes." He corrected himself. He recognized the retinal glare on the screen. "There really is a shapeshifter," he said, more to himself than his family.

"Of course there's really a shapeshifter," Dean spat out angrily.

"Dean, take it easy," John admonished. His feelings were a little hurt that Sam could believe they would hurt him, too. But, seeing as how he and Sam had always had a contentious relationship, it was probably a bit easier on him.

"I'm sorry," Sam whispered.

"It's not your fault," Dean relented. Sam had been through Hell the last couple of weeks, and it could only have been made worse by the fact that he thought that it was at his family's hands.

"So, what do we do now?" Sam asked. "How do we hunt him down?"

"That's a good question," John admitted. "Unless he's a complete moron, he'll have ditched Dean's skin by now. He won't go back to his old house or town."

"Did he give you any clues?" Dean asked.

"When he said we were moving, he said we were going to Montana. But who knows if that was true or not. Anyway, that's the last thing I remember before waking up here. Where are we anyway?"

John and Dean exchanged a look. They hoped this wouldn't end Sam's acceptance of a shapeshifter. "Montana," John finally answered.

"Seriously?" Sam asked. "What are the odds?"

John sighed with relief.

"Well, you're the Mathlete. You figure it out," Dean smirked.

Sam threw a pillow at him and smiled. John couldn't help but smile, too. He had missed this. Watching his boys be brothers. He might not be much of a father, but he had obviously done something right.

"I have to call Jessica and let her know I'm OK," Sam suddenly realized that his girlfriend must be worried out her mind. OK, he hadn't just realized that. He had been thinking about it the whole time. This was just the first time that he could do something about it.

"What are you going to tell her?" Dean asked, curiously, as he handed Sam his phone. It was one thing to lie to cops and acquaintances, but it seemed wrong to lie to someone you were in a relationship with. That's why he avoided them so strongly.

Sam was already dialing, though, so Dean figured he would have to wait to hear it live.

"Hello?" Jessica answered, not recognizing the number, but not willing to ignore any call that might be coming from Sam.

"Jessica," Sam hadn't realized how much he needed to hear her voice.

"Sam? Are you OK?" Jessica practically screamed.

Sam removed the phone from his ear for a second before bring it back and saying, "Yeah. I missed you so much."

"Where have you been? What happened?"

"I got kidnapped," Sam answered honestly. "My dad and brother rescued me."

"Your dad? I talked to him on the phone. He hung up on me."

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

"What happened? Who kidnapped you?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I see you." And when I've had time to think up something that doesn't sound totally crazy.

"Are you on your way?" Jessica asked. She had to see him. She'd been so worried.

"No, I can't come home right now. It's too dangerous." Then he began to worry. The shapeshifter knew about Jessica. He might go after her. "Look, I'll call you later. I love you."

"I love you, too," Jessica said. "Call me soon and get back here soon." She knew there was more to this story, but she would wait to grill him face to face.

Sam hung up. "What if it goes after Jess?"

"It won't," John said, but he wasn't so sure. He would do whatever he had to to protect Sam from the same pain he went through in losing Mary.

"Dad," Sam said, hearing the lack of conviction in his voice.

"It's late. We'll stay here tonight and head for Palo Alto in the morning." He only hoped it wasn't too late. Sam could have been talking to the shifter on the phone. At least he hadn't said where they were.

Sam was going to protest, but he realized that would be a lost cause. It always was. Besides, he didn't want to fight with his Dad or brother right now. He knew that if they started yelling, he would think they would hit him. Then they would get even more mad that he had been so stupid.

"Look, I didn't think it was you at first, Dad. I even said Christo to see if he was a demon."

"You did?" John asked. He was proud that his boy hadn't forgotten everything about hunting.

"Yeah. And I would have tried silver and salt, but I didn't have anything. I was chained up. Then I was specifically punished for not thinking it was you, so…," Sam trailed off.

"It's OK, Sammy. We probably would have thought the same things," John absolved him.

Dean wasn't so sure. John and Dean were all about family. Sam, not so much.

SSS

The shapeshifter had ditched Dean's skin, but he had still retained all of his and John's memories. He was going through them like a filing cabinet, when he stumbled onto a cabin that hunters use in Montana. He knew it was a long shot, but he was already here. He headed in that direction as the sun started going down.


	10. Chapter 10

The shifter parked about a half mile from the cabin. If the Winchesters were there he didn't want them to hear an engine or a car door. He had been in all of them and knew them better than they knew themselves. They were all light sleepers.

He skipped the road and took the straightest route through the woods and hesitated when he got to the clearing where the cabin was. It was hard to see in the dark, but he saw the Impala. He slowly and quietly lowered his backpack to the ground. He went off a little ways to change his skin once again. The best thing about being a shapeshifter was that once you had taken someone's skin, you didn't need to come into contact with them to take it again. They stayed in your shape memory forever. In case his plan went awry, it would probably be best if he looked like one of them. He chose John.

He picked up the gas cans and poured it around the cabin. He went over to the Impala and slit all four tires just in case. He opened the trunk as quietly as he could and removed everything that would be of use and put them in his bag in place of the empty gas cans. Then, went back over to the cabin and lit a match and watched flames quickly surround the small cabin. It hadn't rained in a while, so he couldn't take the chance to watch and listen to them die. He would have to be content with imagining it, he thought as he ran out of the woods.

SSS

John woke up the second he heard the first crackle. He jumped out of bed. "Boys! Wake up!" He had been especially tuned into fire ever since his wife was burned alive on the ceiling.

"Dean! Sam!" he yelled again.

Dean jumped out of bed and Sam rose more slowly. "What's going on?"

"Cabin's on fire." John grabbed a blanket and threw the door open. He was relieved to see that the flames weren't that high yet.

"Get over here," he ordered.

As soon as Sam and Dean were there, he threw the blanket over the flames and practically pushed his sons out the door.

"Let's go," John yelled as he watched the flames spread out from the cabin. Once they hit the trees, the fire would spread fast and there would be no escaping the woods.

Sam and Dean didn't need to be told twice. They ran for the Impala. Dean opened the door and stopped.

"What is it?" John asked as he headed to the driver's side. "Crap," he said as he noticed the two tired on his side were flat. "Those two tires, too?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dean said.

"We'll have to make a run for it," John said as he headed back and noticed that the trunk was open. "No, no, no," he said. But when he looked it was empty. "Come on," he said.

The three Winchesters made their way through the woods as quickly as possible. They had been in bed so weren't wearing shoes, but at least they all had socks on. That wasn't much protection. Luckily there wasn't much wind and they seemed to be keeping ahead of the flames fairly well.

"OK, we're almost to the edge of the woods," John said. "About another quarter mile."

That was when Dean tripped over a gnarled tree root sticking out of the ground. As he went down his leg twisted and they all heard the ugly snap of bone and Dean's agonized scream of pain.

"Sam, help Dean out of here," John ordered. "I'm going to run ahead for help." He didn't wait to see if he would be obeyed. Sam may have left them, but he would never not save his brother.

"Come on," Sam said and gingerly helped Dean up and let him lean on him. He turned back to look. He could just see the fire coming. Even with Dean's broken leg, they should be able to go the last quarter mile in 10 minutes. And hopefully, Dad would find a car out on the highway and bring help back.

SSS

The shifter sat in his truck at the end of the woods. He would wait until the fire got too close for comfort, then he would leave. He wanted to make sure his brother's murderers didn't escape. He saw John run out and start up the hill towards the highway. He didn't see any sign of the two brats, but they might be nearby and hurt. That was the only explanation for John running out on his own. He jumped out of his car and followed John up. He had all their guns, but didn't want to risk a gunshot. John turned around at the noise of the car door opening and was met by the shifter wearing his face and a large branch crashing in on him. That was the last thing he saw.

SSS

Sam lowered Dean to the ground when they had cleared the woods. He should probably try to get him to the highway where Dead went for help, but it was a steep climb. "DAD!" he yelled.

"Right here, Sammy," the shifter said as he jogged up.

"Did you find help?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they called an ambulance and the fire department."

"We should probably get Dean up the hill."

The shifter had been assessing the situation. Apparently, it was just Dean that was hurt. Broken leg, by the look of how it was unnaturally bent. So, Dean was pretty much helpless.

"I don't think anybody's going anywhere," the shifter said and produced one of the Winchester's own guns.

"Where's our dad?" Dean asked.

"Dead." The shifter didn't really consider it a lie. He wasn't sure exactly how it would go down, but all three would be dead soon enough. He pulled out the rope he got from the well-stocked Impala. "Dean, tie Sam's hands behind his back." He tossed Dean the rope.

When Sam didn't move, the shifter pointed his gun at Dean. "I suggest you let him do it."

Sam sighed and knelt in front of Dean so he could reach his hands. The shifter repositioned the gun so that it was pointing at Sam. "Tie them tightly. I'm going to check and if it's loose, he's dead."

Dean scowled. Of course, he had been planning on tying the ropes so that Sam could easily undo them. Now, he didn't dare. He tied them up right. "Sorry, Sammy," he whispered.

The shifter laughed. "Get up," he told Sam. As soon as Sam was standing the shifter pushed him down to the ground again. Then he knelt behind Dean and tied his hands behind his back. He didn't think Dean could catch up on his broken leg, but the one thing that he had learned was not to underestimate a Winchester.

The shifter grabbed Sam and pulled him to his feet. He turned him into the woods. The fire was spreading faster now. He turned back to Dean. "I'm going to tie him to a tree in there. You and your father will either die trying to rescue him, or live the rest of your lives knowing that you couldn't and didn't even bother trying.


	11. Chapter 11

The shifter had led Sam fifty yards into the woods and tied him to a tree. He would have taken him farther in, but the smoke was getting thick. The fire was getting closer, and while it wouldn't kill him, it would hurt like hell. He headed back out towards the road to finish off John. He would leave Dean. Dean would either end up dying in the fire, or have to live with the death of his family. He had been in Dean's skin. He knew that would be a much worse punishment than death.

SSS

John woke up and shook his head. Sam and Dean! If the shifter hadn't shot him, it could only mean he hadn't wanted to alert Sam and Dean because he was going after them. He stood up shakily and then heard a noise nearby. He felt back in his pants and was gratified to find the knife he always slept with under his pillow. He had taken the few seconds necessary to grab it before running out of the fire. Luckily, it was silver.

He turned around to come face to face with himself. He was glad the shifter hadn't changed into one of his boys. That would have given him a huge advantage.

The shifter hadn't expected John to be conscious or to have a weapon. By the time he adjusted to this new information, he felt a knife stabbing into his heart.

John ran back towards the woods. "SAM! DEAN!" he yelled.

"Dad," he heard Dean's answer and quickly ran off in that direction.

"Where's Sam?" John asked as he cut the ropes off Dean.

"The shifter took him in the woods," Dean said.

"OK, you get to the road. I'll get Sam," John ordered.

"No way," Dean protested. He wasn't going to let his father and brother burn up while he got to safety. Broken leg or not, he knew his job.

"Dean, if you come with me, you're just going to slow me down. Do you want to stand here arguing, or you do you want to go get help for when I get your brother out?"

"Yes, sir," Dean capitulated. As much as it killed him, he knew his father was right. But, he didn't know how he would live with himself if they didn't come out.

John went into the woods and Dean crawled in the opposite direction.

"SAM!" John yelled.

SSS

Sam was trying to work on the ropes, but he was so tired. And he was finding it hard to breathe. He kept coughing and his eyes were watering. He had always had a fear of fire. He had known that was how his mother died. He had also known the fire started in his nursery, so it should have been him, too. He always figured when he did die it would be fire. He hadn't ever told anyone that, but it was never far from his mind.

He coughed a few more times and gave into the blackness. As he did, he thought he heard his father yelling for him.

SSS

Dean crawled to the edge of the highway and looked around. There wasn't a sign of a car anywhere. He wanted to cry in frustration. He needed to get help, and fast. He remembered that there was a diner about a mile down the road. He started crawling in that direction. It would take forever and he could only hope a car came along soon.

SSS

John was crawling, too. The smoke was rising and he was missing a lot of it on the ground, but not enough. He knew that if he didn't find Sam soon, he would either have to get out or pass out and wait for the fire to claim him. He wasn't sure which decision he should make. If it weren't for Dean, the choice would be automatic. But, he wasn't sure Dean could survive the deaths of both his only remaining family members.

Then, he was spared from having to make that decision. He saw Sam a few feet away, tied to a tree, his head lolling forward.

"Sammy," John said as he rushed over. He shook Sam and received no response. He put his fingers to Sam's neck and was relieved to find a faint pulse. He cut the ropes tying Sam to the tree, but didn't bother with the ropes tying his hands together. He needed to get both of them out of there with no further delay. He hefted Sam into a fireman's carry and grunted. When had his little boy gotten so heavy?

He ran towards the edge of the woods and to the highway. He set Sam down and looked in both directions. There was no sign of Dean. He turned back to look at the woods. The smoke was getting closer. He could only hope that some motorist had taken Dean away and called the fire department. If he was going to get Sam away from the smoke, he couldn't search for Dean. He cursed the situation. A parent should never have to choose between children. Although, he wasn't even sure that was what he was doing. Dean could be perfectly safe.

John decided to take a few seconds and cut the ropes from Sam's wrists. One less thing to explain to paramedics, firemen, police, whoever else showed up. As he pulled out the knife, Sam coughed and his eyes fluttered open. John breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, Sammy," he said.

Sam didn't hear John. All he saw was the knife. The last thing he remembered the shifter was tying him to a tree in the woods. It didn't really make sense that the shifter would then untie him and drag him to the highway to stab him with a knife. But on the other hand, not much the shifter did had made much sense. It was all mind games with that guy. Plus, why would his father had left his hands tied? And where was Dean? He scooted away from the shiny blade as best he could.


	12. Chapter 12

"It's OK, Sam," John said, as he watched Sam's eyes widen and scoot away from him. "It's me. The shifter is dead."

"Then, why the knife?" Sam asked, suspiciously.

"To cut the ropes from around your wrists," John answered. "Turn around so we can hurry up and find Dean."

"Where is Dean?" Sam asked, still unsure. The shifter would try to use Dean against him. He'd been using all of them against each other from the beginning.

"I don't know. I sent him for help."

Sam still wasn't sure, but he couldn't sit here arguing with his father or the shifter if Dean needed help. He turned his back to his father and squeezed his eyes shut, while he waited for his hands to be freed, or for the knife to plunge into his back.

"Let's go," John said when he had cut the ropes. He turned and headed right. Hopefully Dean would have gone that way.

Sam followed behind him. "DEAN!"

"Sam!"

John and Sam looked at each other and ran towards the voice. "Sorry, Dad. I didn't get very far." Dean had been crawling to try to find somewhere to call for help, but that took time.

Just then, they heard sirens. "That's OK, son. Looks like someone else called for help."

Sam and John helped Dean up and supported him on either side as they headed towards the sirens.

"Dad," Sam said.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry we had that fight. But, I had to leave, and you know I have to go back now, right?"

"Yeah, Sam, I know. I'm sorry, too."

Dean didn't say anything. He was disappointed. He had been harboring a secret wish that Sam would ditch Stanford and his girlfriend like he had ditched them. But, deep down, he had known he wouldn't. Sam hated this life. But, at least now, he realized that it was the life he hated and not his family.

The End

I'm sorry. I know this is the suckiest ending of all time. Stuff came up, though, and it's been so long, I just couldn't really get back into the story. I'm really, really, really sorry.


End file.
